European Roma Rights Centre

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European Roma Rights Centre

• Education Reform in Bulgaria

Funders Roma Education Fund ERRC (core funds)
www.errc.org
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Education Reform in Bulgaria

• Project Purpose
• Political and legal preparation of comprehensive
  educational reform to ensure equal opportunity
  for all children in
• Bulgaria

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Background

• Ongoing desegregation in a number of localities
  of mixed efficacy operating in a legislative
  vacuum
• Bulgarian society is for the most part prejudiced
  against Roma and sees school desegregation and
  other positive efforts as privileges granted to
  undeserving Roma
• The overwhelming majority of Roma want and seek
  integrated education.

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Educational attainment by ethnicity in Bulgaria
Source World Bank Technical Paper No. 531.
Revenga et al Poverty and Ethnicity A
Cross-Country Study of Roma Poverty in Central
Europe. Washington The International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank,
2002.
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Principles of Project Methodology

• Direct participation and consultations/discussions
  with affected Romani individuals and communities
• Close work with government and other
  policy-makers
• Moving from political to legal solutions
  Precedence of negotiated policy options over the
  adoption of a concept for new legislative
  measures
• A comprehensive approach to educational reform
• Respect for the individual choice of parents in
  pursuing the best interest of the child

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STEPS

• Preparing the ground for the acceptance of the
  idea that Roma integration in society is in the
  best interest of society itself
• Building a dialogue among all relevant actors in
  view of developing the political will to
  integrate Roma in the educational system
• Developing the basis for a comprehensive school
  reform
• Assisting in legislative drafting of a new
  education law.

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Instruments

• Sociological/demographic survey concerning the
  spatial dimension of segregation in schooling in
  Bulgaria
• Educational policy options analysis
• Economic cost-benefit analysis of continued
  segregated schooling versus desegregating the
  school system
• Deliberative poll (with CLS)

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ACTIVITIES

• Individual meetings with Bulgarian politicians
  and law and policy makers
• Facilitating consultations among key
  opinion-makers and opinion-movers in Bulgarian
  society
• A number of wider scope meetings involving
  relevant stakeholders
• Work with targeted members of the media
• Expert research to develop resources on
  educational policy issues
• Legal research assistance in drafting new
  legislation.

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Expected policy change

• Introducing positive obligations, including
  political, legal, administrative and financial
  responsibilities, on relevant authorities to
  ensure equal opportunity for all children, and to
  integrate disadvantaged minority children in the
  educational system

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Project team Contact details

• Dr Dimitrina Petrova
• Dimitrina.petrova_at_equalrightstrust.org
• Svetlana Tacheva
• Vladimir Molev
• Savelina Danova
• Savelina.danova_at_errc.org

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Kids Kidding